Nats keep win streak alive

Nick Johnson's decisive home run will get all the acclaim for allowing the Washington Nationals to continue their impressive winning streak.
His game-saving scoop on an inning-ending double play, however, is destined to get lost in the box score.

On a night when the National League East-leading Nationals stretched their winning streak to a season-high five games -- moving six games above .500 for the first time since the Montreal Expos were 71-65 on Aug. 29, 2003 -- the club's most dependable hitter was steady at the plate and in the field in a 2-1 Interleague victory over the Oakland Athletics.

"I'd like to score some more runs. ... We need to come out [and score]. We can't always do that," said Johnson, whose two-run shot with none out in the sixth was the difference.

The "that" Johnson refers to is the Nationals' penchant for dramatic come-from-behind wins, often resulting in one-run margins of victory. Washington is 7-1 on its current 13-game homestand, and in each of those triumphs, the Nationals trailed and rallied.

Overall, 22 of their 32 wins are of the comeback variety, while the Nationals have gone 10-5 in one-run games since May 8.

Manager Frank Robinson can't explain why his club seems to sleepwalk through the early innings, then suddenly accelerate when they have little room for error. But as long as the Nationals keep winning, he isn't likely to argue the point.

"I don't know what it is and I'm not going to tamper with it," Robinson said. "We're having success, so we'll leave it alone. But it's certainly not easy on the stomach."

True to their recent form, the Nationals struggled early against Oakland, a team that has now dropped nine straight on the road, and starter Barry Zito, a once-dominant starter who fell to 0-5 on the road and is hardly assuming the role of staff ace with the departure of Mark Mulder to St. Louis and Tim Hudson to Atlanta.

Staked to a 1-0 lead after a run-scoring double by Scott Hatteberg in the first inning, Zito (2-7) cruised through five innings, displaying an overwhelming curve. He allowed Washington only three hits over that span.

Then came the sixth, when Jose Guillen, returning to the Washington lineup after missing Sunday's game with a sore hand, drew a leadoff walk. That brought Johnson -- who has reached base in 55 of his 57 games -- to the plate.

Johnson, who hit only seven homers last year in an injury-shortened season, notched his eighth of the year on Zito's first pitch. He crushed a two-run homer to the gap in right-center, putting Washington ahead, 2-1.

"Maybe they just don't feel like they want to put too much effort out there and do too much work when they can get it done in half a ballgame," Robinson said, only half-jokingly.

Johnson wasn't hunting a specific pitch -- unless you count one over the plate as his intended quarry.

"[Zito] threw four balls and I was just looking for a pitch in the zone to swing at," Johnson said. "I feel pretty good, I'm seeing the ball well. But I've got to keep grinding every at-bat."

Johnson, who is 14-for-25 (.560) with eight runs scored and seven RBIs on the homestand, is certainly doing that. But he flashed his defensive prowess in the eighth, when Robinson had to use three pitchers to blunt an Oakland rally.

Hector Carrasco relieved starter Tony Armas Jr. (2-3) and got Jason Kendall to ground out to short. With two left-handed hitters looming, Robinson called for lefty C..J. Nitkowski, who promptly surrendered a single to Eric Chavez and walked Hatteberg.

Luis Ayala replaced Nitkowski and got Bobby Crosby to bounce into a rally-ending 6-4-3 double play. But second baseman Jamey Carroll's relay to Johnson bounced a bit wide of first, forcing Johnson to make a nice scoop to protect the lead.

"That was a tough one," Johnson said. "I was thinking [I had to] get the out, because if it gets by me, it's a tie ballgame."

"What we've got him out there for is his glove," Robinson said of Johnson. "That was a pretty good play. It gets us out of the inning."

Johnson made sure a gutsy effort by Armas was rewarded. Armas labored through six innings on a humid 91-degree evening, never really getting command of his pitches but never really giving in either.

"Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it isn't," said Armas, who allowed four hits, walked one and struck out two for his first victory since May 16. "I've got to pitch my way through things."

Chad Cordero, the sixth Washington pitcher, worked the ninth for his 16th save in 18 chances. But he also had to get out of trouble after allowing two-out singles to Marco Scutaro and Eric Byrnes before Mark Kotsay bounced out to Carroll.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Nats draft Zimmerman at No. 4

University of Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman made history on Tuesday afternoon in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft by becoming the Washington Nationals' inaugural first-round pick.
A few minutes later, both parties agreed to terms on a $2.975 million Minor League deal, with more than $800,000 up front as a signing bonus. Zimmerman will report to Double-A Harrisburg and then play in the Arizona Fall League once the Minor League season is over. Zimmerman also will report to Spring Training in 2006.

Zimmerman is expected to visit the Nationals on Wednesday.

Zimmerman said he signed right away because he didn't want to lose at-bats during the summer and didn't want to have a reputation of being a person that is looking only for the money.

"I didn't want to be one of those guys that sits out the whole summer," Zimmerman said. "It was real important to be out there. I'm already so close to where everyone's goal is. They are going to send me right to Double-A. It wouldn't be smart to go out and get more money. It's not really the kind of player that I am. I don't know how I could deal without a summer of baseball."

Interim general manager Jim Bowden said he wouldn't be afraid to call Zimmerman up to the big leagues this year, but that Zimmerman needs to perform at Harrisburg in order for the promotion to happen.

"This will be a player in the fast track to the Major Leagues," Bowden said. "This decision was almost unanimous from this organization. That's rare to find. But that's how the draft played out. This is one of the easiest first-round picks I've been involved in.

"When I took [Reds pitcher] Ryan Wagner [in 2003], I brought him to the big leagues in eight days. That's not going to happen with Zimmerman. We'll put a player where he can succeed. If we feel we have an injury and he can help us in the big leagues, we are not afraid to promote him, if we can do it. But once he goes out and plays, Zimmerman is the one who tells us how quick he can get to the big leagues, not us."

Zimmerman was the fourth overall pick, behind Virginia high school shortstop Justin Upton (Arizona), Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon (Kansas City) and USC catcher Jeff Clement (Seattle).

The Nationals had a chance to select Long Beach State shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who was projected by some to be the third pick in the draft. But it was unanimous within the organization that Zimmerman was a better choice.



Complete coverage >Bowden said the team likes Zimmerman's makeup on and off the field. The organization has already compared him to the likes of Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Troy Glaus, and they believe that Zimmerman has the agility to play shortstop, if needed.

"He is a leader," Bowden said. "As you build a baseball team, makeup and character is extremely important. He is also a very special defensive player. There are not a lot of special defensive third basemen that ever get to play in the Major Leagues. This player is one of those players. He's a great defensive player and he has a great arm."

When asked about those comparisons, Zimmerman said, "I just try to play like me. I always tried to be consistent in the games that I've played. You know what you are going to get every day when I come to the park."

Zimmerman became the first position player to be drafted by the Nationals since 1998, when the Expos drafted shortstop Josh McKinley with the 11th pick. For the next six years, the organization drafted pitchers, with closer Chad Cordero being the only one playing the big leagues.

As for Zimmerman, he stands 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and hails from Virginia Beach, Va. He hit .393 with six home runs and 59 RBI this season for the Cavaliers.

A second team All-ACC selection in 2005, Zimmerman established a new school record for hits in a season (92), breaking a record (90) he set in 2004. He hit .400 (6-for-15) with four RBIs to garner a spot on the 2005 ACC All-Tournament Team.

Ryan Zimmerman
School:
Virginia
Position: 3B B/T: R/R
H: 6'2" W: 210
Born: 1984-09-28 Class: 4YR
Scouting report:
Strong, athletic build on a large build. Similar to Aaron Boone. Quick, line-drive stroke. Drives ball w/ regular contact. Gap-type power. Soft hands. Good instincts. Fun to watch.

A .355 career hitter with 47 doubles and 140 RBIs in three seasons at Virginia, Zimmerman helped the Cavaliers earn NCAA bids each of the last two seasons to end the program's eight-year postseason drought. Despite playing just three collegiate seasons, Zimmerman is ranked among Virginia's all-time top 10 in hits, doubles and RBIs.

Bowden feels that Zimmerman will hit home runs in the future as long as he doesn't change his swing to do so.

Zimmerman's baseball experience expands far beyond the college level. He was named MVP at the FIFU II World University Games, played last summer in Taiwan.

For the summer, Zimmerman led or tied for the Team USA club lead in all three Triple Crown categories, hitting .468 with four home runs and 27 RBIs. For his efforts, Zimmerman was named USA Baseball's Athlete of the Year in 2004.

While playing for Team USA, Zimmerman was teammates with Gordon, who went two picks ahead of him to the Royals. Zimmerman's defensive propensity at the hot corner forced Gordon's shift to first base for the summer.

Zimmerman (.468, four home runs, 27 RBI) also outhit Gordon (.388, four home runs, 12 RBI) in the summer using wood bats.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Byrd could face $1,000 fine

Nationals outfielder Marlon Byrd is still awaiting word of his punishment after knocking down second base umpire Joe Brinkman last Saturday against the Marlins.
But according to a team source, Byrd likely will be suspended one game and fined $1,000.

Byrd knocked down Brinkman following the sixth inning. Byrd was ejected after arguing with first base umpire Bill Miller, who called Byrd out on a swinging strike. Byrd ran from shallow left field to argue with Miller.

But Brinkman, who is the crew chief, tried to grab Byrd and was knocked to the ground. Nationals trainer Tim Abraham and Marlins trainer Sean Cunningham attended to Brinkman, who suffered a scrape on his right forehead, but remained in the game.

Soon thereafter, manager Frank Robinson scolded Byrd for not thinking about the team, which was short a position player at the time. Robinson told Byrd not to lose his cool and always go back to his position.

In an exclusive interview with MLB.com on Wednesday, Byrd said he spoke to Brinkman recently and told him that he didn't mean to knock him down. Byrd also is grateful that Brinkman was in great spirits and took the accident in stride.

"With [Brinkman] going down, that was something nobody wanted. There was no intent to have him go on the ground or go near him," Byrd said. "I was yelling at [Bill Miller]. I saw Brinkman the last second and tried to move out the way, but then I hit his arm. I was running by him and he stuck his arm out.

"Brinkman told me that he could tell I wasn't looking at him. I saw him the last second. That's why I dodged him. He knows I wasn't trying to hit him."

While the replay shows that Byrd did indeed check his swing, the outfielder doesn't fault Miller for striking him out.

"He said he saw me go around. It's the human element of the game. He doesn't have a replay. You just have to accept it," Byrd said.

Welcome to the club: The Nationals introduced third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to the media on Wednesday afternoon. Scouting director Dana Brown gave Zimmerman a Nationals hat and a uniform, which had No. 1 on it.

Zimmerman is expected to join Double-A Harrisburg after attending his younger brother's graduation on Saturday.

Zimmerman, who signed his contract worth $2.975 million in front of his parents and the media, took a tour of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium and met Brad Wilkerson and Livan Hernandez for the first time.

Injury report: Jamey Carroll was scratched from Wednesday's game because of a sore left ankle. Carroll hurt the ankle on Tuesday after grounding out to shortstop in the fifth inning. The ankle turned while he stepped in the base.

The team noticed that Carroll was still running gingerly during batting practice on Wednesday.

Carroll said he hopes to return to action the next day against the A's. Carlos Baerga started at second base on Wednesday against the Athletics. ...

Second baseman Jose Vidro will have the protective boot on his left ankle removed this weekend and be reevaluated. He is currently on the disabled list because a high ankle sprain and torn peroneal tendon outside the ankle. Vidro most likely will not return until after the All-Star break. ...

Infielder Henry Mateo practiced at second base for the first time since being placed on the disabled list because of a right shoulder tendinitis on May 15. He will continue to practice at the position the rest of the week and will be reevaluated. ... Reliever Joey Eischen, on the 60-day disabled list, because of a broken right radius, had his first bullpen session on Wednesday and threw 30 pitches. He said still needs to strengthen the right arm.

"My fastball was up in the zone. My breaking balls were pretty much where I wanted them. I threw everything. I like the way everything came out of my hand," Eischen said.

The left-hander will travel with the Nationals on their next road trip and then go to New Orleans on a rehab assignment.

Eischen is expected to be activated by the end of the month.

Minor transaction: After Wednesday's game, the Nationals outrighted left-handed reliever C.J. Nitkowski to Triple-A New Orleans and will select the contract of infielder Rick Short on Thursday.

Nitkowski's job was to get left-handed hitters out, but he was mediocre at the role. He posted a 8.10 ERA in seven games out of the bullpen. Nitkowski said he is not sure if he will go to the Minor Leagues.

Nitkowski's departure means that the Nationals have an all-right-handed bullpen.

Short, who was hitting .341 with five home runs and 30 RBIs for New Orleans this year, has never played in a big-league game. He is a career .312 Minor League hitter entering this season, but some say that below-average defense has prevented him from playing in the big leagues.

Mad as hell: Outfielder Jose Guillen was not happy that he was hit on the right hand by a Keiichi Yabu pitch in the fifth inning on Wednesday. He was yelling at Yabu until Robinson came out of the dugout to calm him down.

According to Guillen, Robinson tried to take him out of the game because of the hand injury, but Guillen declined. Both Guillen and Robinson were seen exchanging words for about one minute.

"They wanted to take me out and I was so mad," said Guillen. "Sometimes, when you get hit, you want to stay in the game. You hope that when somebody hits a groundball, you go as hard as you can. There's nothing against me and Frank. Let's not go there."

The bottom of Guillen's hand was swollen after the game and he's questionable for Thursday's contest.

Stat of the day: The Nationals relievers have 12 victories, which ranks second in the Major Leagues. Set-up man Luis Ayala has five of those victories.

Did you know: In Tuesday's 2-1 victory against the Athletics, the Nationals went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

On deck: The Nationals play the third game of a three-game series against Athletics on Thursday night at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

Hernandez will be the starter for the Nationals. Hernandez, who is looking to win his seventh straight decision, will face the Athletics for the fourth time in his career. He is 1-2 with a 5.75 ERA against them.

In his last start, Hernandez pitched nine innings, threw 150 pitches and gave up two runs against the Marlins on June 3. He didn't figure in the decision as the Nationals won the game, 3-2, in 11 innings.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Nationals rout A's for sixth straight win

Ryan Church and Brian Schneider drove in a combined five runs and helped the Nationals pound the Athletics, 7-2, in front of 28,749 fans at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Nationals have now won six consecutive games -- nine out of their last 10 -- and are now a season high seven games over .500 at 33-26.

The Nationals were losing, 2-0, when they came back against right-hander Ryan Glynn. With two outs, Church took an 0-1 pitch and homered over the right-field wall to cut the lead to 2-1.

"All I know the pitch was down. I was able to extend my arms. I put it on the barrel of the bat. That's all you could ask for. Another line drive that went out of the yard," Church said.

Washington then took the lead for good in the fourth inning off Glynn. After Nick Johnson walked and stole second, Carlos Baerga doubled to right field to bring home Johnson and tie the score at 2.

Schneider followed and took an 0-1 pitch and homered over the right-field wall and give the Nationals a 4-2 lead. It was Schneider's third home run of the season and first since April 29 against the Mets.

"Glynn got ahead with the curveball, but most of the game, he was throwing a lot of fastballs. I was looking for the fastball and I put a good swing on it," Schneider said, who is hitting .231. "I try not to get down. I know I haven't been swinging the bat the way I should. All I can do is give what I can defensively. Offensively, I know I'm going to come around one of these days. Tonight was a big hit for the team. Hopefully, I can come out tomorrow and get a big hit for the team."

With left-hander Ricardo Rincon on the mound, the Nationals added two more runs in the sixth inning, when Church tripled past first baseman Dan Johnson to drive in Cristian Guzman and Brad Wilkerson. The runs were charged to Keiichi Yabu.

Overall, Church went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and was a double short of the cycle. In his last at-bat in the eighth inning, Church admitted that he was going for the two-bagger. In fact, he swung at a 3-0 count and fouled it off. He would later single up the middle, but was later scolded by manager Frank Robinson for swinging at the 3-0 pitch.

"I was caught up in the moment. In that situation, you take a strike. I'm a rookie," Church said.

In the seventh, Vinny Castilla drove in the final run of the game with a solo home run over the left center-field wall off Juan Cruz.

The winning pitcher was Esteban Loaiza (2-4), who pitched seven solid innings and gave up two runs. He struck out four batters and walked three. It was his first win since May 2 against the Dodgers.

The two runs were scored in the first inning on a two-run homer by Bobby Crosby, but the Athletics' lead was erased by the fourth.

Entering the game, the Nationals averaged 2.07 runs per game per game when Loaiza was in the game, but they gave him a comfortable lead by the sixth inning.

"The bottom like is winning and we won today and I pitched a good game, except allowing that two-run home run," Loaiza said. "After that, there is still a lot of innings left and I knew my team was going to get some runs and go from there."

With the win, the Nationals remain in first place in the National League East and are 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Phillies. It's also the first time the Nationals have won six in a row since April 19-25, 2002, when they were the Expos.

For Baerga, he is seeing the same winning spirit that the 1995 Indians had. He was the everyday second baseman when the Indians played the Braves in the World Series.

"It's not just one player getting the job done. Today it was Schneider and Church, who has been doing it the last few days for us. When Wilkerson and [Jose] Guillen get hot, it's going to be unbelievable," Baerga said. "We are feeling that attitude of the '95 Indians. We don't have the power that the Indians had, but Nick Johnson is keeping us in the game all the time. Plus the pitching staff is keeping us in the game."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Johnson's double sweeps bases, series

Livan Hernandez had no ill effects after throwing 150 pitches last Friday against the Marlins, for he pitched eight solid innings and helped the Nationals defeat the Athletics, 4-3, in front of 26,672 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on Thursday night.
The Nationals swept the three-game series from Oakland and have now won seven consecutive games -- 10 out of their last 11. They are now a season-high eight games over .500 at 34-26.

The last time the Nationals were this many games over .500 was on July 4, 2003, when the Expos dropped their record to 47-39 in an 8-6 loss to the Braves.

The game time temperature on Thursday was 80 degrees, but the humidity was very high. It was the humidity that forced Hernandez to cut short his work in the bullpen and not throw as hard early in the game. In fact, catcher Brian Schneider went to the mound a couple of times to give Hernandez a breather because of the humidity.

But Hernandez managed to shut out the Athletics for the first seven innings. Hernandez would allow two runs in the eighth inning. Bobby Crosby tripled home Jason Kendall, while Crosby came home on a sacrifice fly by Mark Kotsay.

"The velocity was not perfect. It was low -- 83, 85 [mph]," Hernandez said. "I threw a lot of sinkers early. I warmed up pretty good and I threw a little harder."

Hernandez, who has now won eight consecutive decisions, gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out five batters and walked one, throwing 127 pitches -- 79 of them for strikes. Hernandez is now 9-2 with a 3.35 ERA. It's the first time he has won that many games in the first half, and Hernandez is on pace to win 20 games for the first time in his career.

"I don't think about how many wins I have. I want to continue to do my job and try to win some more games," Hernandez said. "The team is playing very good. Everybody is playing together."

By the time the Athletics scored their two runs, the Nationals had the game in hand after scoring all four runs in the third inning off Athletics starter Joe Blanton.

With the bases loaded and one out, Nick Johnson cleared the bases with a double to right-center field. By taking the lead, the Nationals snapped a 10-game streak by which they came from behind and won the game.

Johnson wound up driving in nine runs in the three-game series. Overall, Johnson is hitting .341 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs.

Johnson was not available for comment after the game because he had a dinner engagement with his agent, according to a source. But teammate Jose Guillen said that Johnson should be one of the team's representatives at the All-Star Game this year.

"When I came to Spring Training I heard that Nick gets hurt and he doesn't like to play, but without him and Ryan Church, we would not be where we are," Guillen said. "Nick is playing on a consistent basis everyday. He is getting good pitches to hit. He doesn't go out of the strike zone like I've been doing lately."

Vinny Castilla knocked in Washington's final run in the third when he drove in Johnson with a double to left-center field and make it a 4-0 game.

The Athletics scored the final run in the ninth inning with Chad Cordero on the mound. With two out and runners on first and second, Kendall hit a routine groundball to Castilla, who threw the ball to second baseman Carlos Baerga in what looked like a force play and the final out of the game. But the ball went past Baerga's glove and into short right-center field. Nick Swisher scored and runners were on second and third. Baerga was charged with an error on the play.

"I jumped and I just missed that ball. I have no excuses. The throw was kind of high," Baerga said.

But Cordero wasn't fazed as he induced Crosby to groundout to end the game and picked up his 17th save of the season.

With the victory the Nationals remain in first place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies in the National League East. Manager Frank Robinson continues to duck questions about the Nationals being in the pennant race. He still wants to the Nationals to remain under the radar. Robinson has consistently said it's too early to think about the pennant race.

"ESPN is keeping us under the radar. I would plead [with the rest] of the media to do the same."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Nationals excited with draft results

By selecting Ryan Zimmerman as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, the Nationals feel they have their third baseman of the future.
Interim general manager Jim Bowden said the team likes Zimmerman's makeup on and off the field. The organization has already compared him to the likes of Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Troy Glaus, and they believe that Zimmerman has the agility to play shortstop, if needed.

"He is a leader," Bowden said. "As you build a baseball team, makeup and character is extremely important. He is also a very special defensive player. There are not a lot of special defensive third basemen that ever get to play in the Major Leagues. This player is one of those players. He's a great defensive player and he has a great arm."

Had Zimmerman been drafted earlier in the round, the Nationals most likely would have selected outfielder Jay Bruce, who impressed the organization during a workout last Saturday. Most draft specialists believe that Bruce, who is from Beaumont Texas, will hit 40 home runs in a season.

The Nationals did not have a pick in the second or third rounds of the First-Year Player Draft because they signed third baseman Vinny Castilla and Cristian Guzman to free agent contracts this past offseason. However, the money they had allocated for those rounds will now be spent on signing players in the Dominican Republic.

Bowden would not say whom they are trying to sign from the Dominican Republic, but they are looking for an impact player on offense.

"We are going to be better with the way we have done it. We are very excited about that," Bowden said recently. "I don't want to make the other 29 clubs aware who we are going to sign. Unlike the United States, there's no draft when it comes to signing players from Latin America."

However, the Nationals went on to draft 48 players, 32 of them were selected on Wednesday. Of the 32 that were picked, scouting director Dana Brown is expected to sign only eight of them.

"They are mostly draft and follows," Brown said. "They are going to go to a junior college or we will follow them during the summer to see if they get better. For the most part, the better players are off the board. The ones that are left are usually tough signs or are injured."

Of all the players they selected on Wednesday, the Nationals are really high on left-hander Scott Barnes and right-hander Robert Leonhardt.

Barnes, who went to Cathedral (MA) High School, is expected to go to St. John University in the fall. The Nationals think he has a chance to throw harder in the summer. "A lot of times, those guys don't warm up until after May. We may make a run at him," Brown said.

Leonhardt nearly priced himself out of the draft. But Brown believes that he's fifth or sixth round pick.

During the two days, the Nationals drafted 15 outfielders with power including center fielder Justin Maxwell of the University of Maryland and right fielder Ryan DeLaughter of Billy Ryan High School in Denton, Texas.

Maxwell missed most of the last two seasons because of injuries, and he's is still recovering from a hamate bone injury. He is expected to be out another six weeks and recover at the Nationals' Spring Training facility at Brevard County in Florida.

Brown was impressed on how Maxwell performed in the Cape Cod League and believes that Maxwell is worth the risk.

"We were fortunate to get a couple of reports early in the year," Brown said. "He slipped to the fourth round and we were happy to get him."

DeLaughter hit over .300 and led his high school in home runs and RBIs, and most of the scouts compare him to former Mariners outfielder Jay Buhner.

"DeLaughter has good arm strength and power. He is from Texas where we know a lot of good players come from," Brown said. "I saw him play in an All-Star Game and we feel that he's a power bat that will play a corner position."

Right-hander Marco Estrada of Long Beach State University and Jack Spradlin of USC were the Nationals' top two pitchers. Both pitchers are expected to be starters in the minor league system.

Spradlin, a left-hander, was 6-3 with 4.14 ERA. He struck out 92 batters and walked 29 113 innings. Estrada, a right-hander, was 8-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 18 games. Opponents hit .212 against him.

"Spradlin has a really good curveball. He may be a No. 4 starter," Brown said "When Estrada gets to the big leagues, he will be an innings eater and a fifth starter-type guy. He has value because of his pitch ability. He really throws a lot of strikes.

Over all, the Nationals selected 24 pitchers and only eight of them were left-handed. Surprising considering that they don't hardly have any good left-handed prospects in the farm system. John Lannan of Siena College was the other lefty they drafted in the 11th round.

"It's just tough to get left-handed pitching. There were a lot of other lefties on the board, but they were relievers," Brown said. "We felt those two starters we drafted had fastball command. That's why we went after them."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Vidro hits the diamond

On Thursday afternoon, second baseman Jose Vidro was spotted on the baseball diamond at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium playing with second baseman Carlos Baerga, his son, Jose Jr., and his younger brother.
Vidro was catching balls at first base and slowly getting fly balls around the diamond. Vidro is still wearing a protective boot after suffering a high ankle sprain and torn peroneal tendon against the Dodgers on May 4.

Vidro said that the boot is coming off this weekend and he is hoping that he could start exercising the ankle after that. He is not expected to be activated until after the All-Star break.

In the meantime, Vidro has been keeping himself in shape by lifting weights.

"The ankle is coming along pretty good," Vidro said. "I hope I can come back earlier than after the All-Star break. I feel much better. The team is going pretty good. These next couple of weeks are going to be critical as far as when I'll be back. If there's no pain, then I should know when to come back."

In Vidro's absence, Jamey Carroll has been the starting second baseman. Vidro said he told interim general manager Jim Bowden recently that Carroll has done a great job.

"We were glad that Jamey can play a lot of positions, especially second base," Vidro said. "The one thing that I really like about Jamey is the approach he has toward the game. When he is not playing, he is paying attention to a lot of things. He's one of those guys that learns pretty quick."

The short of it: After 1,200 hits in the Minor Leagues, infielder Rick Short finally became a big leaguer for the first time on Thursday. Short, 32, admitted that tears were shed when Triple-A New Orleans manager Tim Foli gave him the good news on Wednesday.

"It didn't sink in until much later in the night. My initial reaction was just that finally I'll get to play in the big leagues," he said.

Short feels it took him so long to reach the big leagues because he was in situations where the teams were not looking for an infielder. He also acknowledged that his below-average defense played a role in him not getting promoted to the big leagues sooner.

Injury report: Manager Frank Robinson, who is cautious when it comes to injuries, said that Carroll could be out of action for the rest of the week because of a sore left ankle. However, Carroll said that his ankle is much better and expects to play against the Mariners this weekend.

The Nationals called Short, in part, because of Carroll's injury. ...

Outfielder Jeffery Hammonds was activated from the 15-day disabled list and then optioned to Triple-A New Orleans. Hammonds was on the DL because of a right hamstring pull.

Stat of the day: Eight of Chad Cordrero's 10 saves this season have come in games decided by one run.

Did you know: The Nationals' streak of 10 straight come-from-behind wins is the longest in the Major Leagues since the Cardinals posted 10 straight of their own from April 5-26, 2002.

On deck: The Nationals begin a three-game series against the Mariners starting Friday night at RFK Stadium. The last time the two teams met was last season with the Mariners sweeping the Expos in Seattle.

Right-hander Tomo Ohka will make the start against the Nationals in Game 1. Ohka, who has never faced the Mariners, is looking to win his fourth consecutive decision. The last time Ohka pitched was on June 4 against the Marlins. He gave up three runs -- two earned -- in 3 1/3 innings, but didn't figure in the decision as the Nationals won, 7-3.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Byrd suspended two games

Nationals center fielder Marlon Byrd was suspended two games and fined $1,000 by Major League Baseball for his aggressive conduct following his ejection prior to the top of the seventh inning against the Marlins last Saturday.
Byrd said he will appeal the suspension and fine. A team source said the hearing could take place in a week or later. Byrd also could drop the appeal and accept his punishment, but that seems doubtful, according to the source.

Byrd knocked down second base umpire Joe Brinkman following the sixth inning. Byrd was ejected after arguing with first-base umpire Bill Miller, who called Byrd out on a swinging strike. Byrd ran from shallow left field to argue with Miller. But Brinkman, who is the crew chief, tried to grab Byrd and was knocked to the ground.

Nationals trainer Tim Abraham and Marlins trainer Sean Cunningham attended to Brinkman, who suffered a scrape on his forehead, but remained in the game.

"I'm very disappointed. There was no intent for Joe to fall. I was trying to get out of his way," Byrd said. "I have to take it a day at a time. Hopefully I'll get by this and we'll continue to win.

"I think Bob Watson (vice president of on-field operations for MLB) had to do his job, and he could only go by what he heard."

Interim general manger Jim Bowden felt Watson has made the wrong call and believes the suspension will be reduced from two to zero once the league sees the videotapes. Bowden also said that Miller taunted Byrd, causing Byrd's angry reaction.

"I spent a considerable amount of time watching every camera angle of the incident," Bowden said. "The contact that was made between the second base umpire and Marlon Byrd was the complete fault of the second base umpire. When you review the tape of the incident, there's no way that Marlon Byrd could see Joe Brinkman running toward him on the side. Joe Brinkman ran into Marlon Byrd, not the other way around. It will clearly show that on the video.

"It is very evident that in all the different camera angles that we have, that the first base umpire was taunting Marlon Byrd from the first position all the way to left field. Marlon Byrd did not say a word to the umpire."

Miller was not available for comment.

Byrd said he spoke to Brinkman recently and told him that he didn't mean to knock him down. Byrd is also grateful that Brinkman was in great spirits and took the accident in stride.

"Brinkman told me that he could tell I wasn't looking at him. I saw him at the last second. That's why I dodged him. He knows I wasn't trying to hit him," Byrd said.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Hammonds calls it quits

A day after being activated from the disabled list and being optioned back to Triple-A New Orleans, outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds decided to retire. He will return to Stanford University and get his degree in Spanish.
The Nationals wanted to show Hammonds respect by holding a press conference for him, but he declined. The Nationals also have told Hammonds there would be a position for him in the organization if he wanted to remain in baseball.

"Jeffrey did not want to go back to Triple-A," interim GM Jim Bowden said. "I explained to him that the players on our team, we felt, were better. We have Marlon Byrd and Tony Blanco ahead of him, and he was after that.

"We wanted him to go to Triple-A. We hoped he could help us as a pinch-hitter down the road this year. He's walking away at a time where he could still play, but it's as a 25th player."

Manager Frank Robinson, who signed Hammonds to his first professional contract when both were with the Orioles, expressed disappointment that Hammonds called it a career.

"I feel kind of sad," Robinson said. "I think he is shortchanging himself a little bit as far as his career is concerned. I think Jeffrey has something to offer a team, but it's not on a regular basis. I was hoping it would be here. He would be a very valuable reserve. One day down the road, I think he's going to regret it."

Hammonds was a non-roster invitee and was sent to New Orleans to start the season. But Hammonds returned to the big leagues on May 3 after outfielder Terrmel Sledge went on the disabled list.

Hammonds found himself on the disabled list for the 11th time in his career with a right hamstring pull. He suffered the injury on May 22 against the Blue Jays.

Hammonds went on to hit .219 with an RBI, which came May 18. Hammonds' bases-loaded RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Nationals a 1-0 victory over Milwaukee.

Hammonds, 34, hit .272 with 110 home runs and 423 RBIs in 957 Major League games spanning 13 seasons with the Orioles, Reds, Rockies, Brewers, Giants and Nationals.

"People ask me, am I disappointed about the injuries that I've sustained during my career, that prevented me from fulfilling my potential," Hammonds said in a statement. "My answer is, 'Are you kidding?' I have played with the best ballplayers in the world, at all levels, from high school, to college, to the Olympics, to the major leagues. That is a dream in itself.

"The only thing that I was not able to achieve in this game was playing in the World Series. And this Washington Nationals team has a realistic shot of doing that. I will miss this game, I will miss the people in this game, but those who I have watched walk away from before me showed me that the game will go on."

Reunited: Catcher Gary Bennett played with infielder Junior Spivey in Milwaukee last year, and Bennett called him a great teammate who works hard. Bennett also said that the Brewers were never the same after Spivey missed most of the second half of the season because of a rotator cuff injury.

"He's a top-notch player. One of my favorite teammates ever. He leaves it all out there between the lines," Bennett said. "He's a very good player and his presence in the clubhouse is going to add to what we already have.

Stat of the day: Entering Friday's action, Chad Cordero has recorded 14 consecutive saves in as many chances.

Did you know: Brad Wilkerson's double totals have increased in each of the last four years. He had seven doubles in 2001, 27 in 2002, 34 in 2003 and 39 last year.

In 2005, Wilkerson is on pace to collect 59 doubles. He has 22 doubles entering Friday's action.

On deck: The Nationals play the second game of a three-game series against Mariners on Saturday night at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

Right-hander John Patterson will make the start against the Nationals. Patterson will face the Mariners for the first time in his career.

In his last outing, Patterson pitched six innings and allowed just one run on seven hits against the Marlins. Robinson said he expects Patterson to go deep in the ballgame in his next outing, which will be his third since missing two weeks with back spasms.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds announces retirement from baseball

Washington Nationals outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds today announced his retirement from baseball.
Hammonds, 34, hit .272 (824-for-3,032) with 172 doubles, 110 home runs and 423 RBI in 957 major league games spanning 13 seasons with Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Washington.

"People ask me, am I disappointed about the injuries that I've sustained during my career, that prevented me from fulfilling my potential," said Hammonds. "My answer is 'are you kidding?' I have played with the best ballplayers in the world, at all levels, from high school, to college, to the Olympics, to the major leagues. That is a dream in itself.

"The only thing that I was not able to achieve in this game was playing in the World Series. And this Washington Nationals team has a realistic shot of doing that. I will miss this game, I will miss the people in this game, but those who I have watched walk away from before me showed me that the game will go on.

"Thank you to my immediate family-my wife, kids, parents, brothers, sisters and friends-and to my baseball family, including Joe Pendel, Mark Marquess and especially Frank Robinson-for offering the support and knowledge to allow a dream to come true."

Hammonds was Baltimore's top selection (fourth overall) in the 1992 First-Year Player Draft after a stellar collegiate career at Stanford, where he majored in history. Among those who worked on Hammonds signing with the Orioles was Robinson, who was a member of Baltimore's front office at the time. In 1997, Hammonds blasted a career-high 21 home runs and played a vital role as the Orioles won the America League East and advanced to the ALCS.

In 2000, Hammonds hit .335 with 20 home runs and 106 RBI and represented Colorado in the All-Star Game played at Turner Field in Atlanta. He hit career home run No. 100 on July 5, 2002 vs. Cincinnati off Elmer Dessens. Hammonds was also a 1992 United States Olympian, and in December of 1999, was named to USA Baseball's All-Time team.

Hammonds signed with the Nationals on December 13 and appeared in 13 games for Washington this season. On May 18, Hammonds' bases-loaded RBI single down the left field line with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning accounted for all of the offense in a 1-0 victory vs. Milwaukee.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Nationals win ninth straight

Call June 11, 2005, the day right-hander John Patterson turned the corner in his baseball career. He pitched seven solid inning and helped the Nationals defeat the Mariners, 2-1, in front of 39,108 fans.
It was a night when the Nationals reached the 1 million mark in attendance this season.

The Nationals have won nine consecutive games, and 12 out of their last 13. They are a season-high 10 games over .500 at 36-26. The last time the organization was this many games over .500 was June 14, 2003, when the Expos were 39-29.

It was the seventh inning with the score tied at 1. With two outs, Mike Morse on third base, and Ichiro Suzuki coming to the plate, Nationals manager Frank Robinson came out of the dugout. That usually means Patterson is coming out of the game.

But Robinson did something that is only reserved for right-handers Livan Hernandez and Esteban Loaiza. He kept Patterson in the game. With two bases opened, all Robinson wanted to know was who Patterson wanted to face -- Ichiro or Randy Winn. Patterson said he wanted to face Ichiro, who was looking to collect his 1000th career hit. Robinson's confidence in Patterson was rewarded when Ichiro flew out to left fielder Marlon Byrd to end the inning.

"When I saw Frank come out of the dugout, I was like, 'Oh, no.' He just asked me who I wanted to pitch to," Patterson said. "I was confident I could get (Ichiro ) out in that situation. Fortunately, it happened. I liked that Frank showed that confidence in me. He felt like I could do the job. He trusted me, and it worked out. I have to keep doing what I'm doing. I've been consistent this year. I have to go out, keep throwing the ball, and competing."

Robinson downplayed the situation, saying that getting out of the situation should build Patterson's confidence.

"It gets him to understand that he has good enough stuff to win in this league on a consistent basis. Just as long as he gets ahead of the hitters and doesn't become predictable, he should win," Robinson said.

Patterson ended up pitching seven innings, giving up one run on six hits. He struck out five batters and walked one. The one run was scored in the fifth inning, when Ichiro drove in Mike Morse with a single to right field to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. Ichiro hit a hard ground ball to first baseman Nick Johnson, but the ball took a bad hop and skipped past Johnson for a base hit.

But Patterson ended up being rewarded for his solid outing. The Nationals tied the score in the in the top of the fifth inning, when Byrd drove in Cristian Guzman with triple to right field off Mariners starter Jamie Moyer.

Moyer was just as good as Patterson. He pitched six innings, and giving up one run on four hits, but he didn't figure in the decision.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, and reliever J.J. Putz on the mound, the Nationals had the bases loaded when Jose Guillen singled up the middle to score pinch-runner Tony Blanco and give the Nationals a 2-1.

Guillen was not available to the media after the game because he, along with Hernandez and Loaiza, were given a police escort to the Mike Tyson/Kevin McBride fight at the MCI Center.

Before riding away, Guillen said, "I'm happy that we won and I'll see you tomorrow."

However, Robinson talked about how Guillen consistently comes through in clutch situations.

"Even though he is struggling a little bit, he seems to be able to understand the situation, and what it calls for," Robinson said "He wasn't up there to hit a grand slam. He was out there to get a base hit and put the ball in play. He was successful.

Patterson ended up winning his third game of the season and his first since April 26, against the Phillies, while Chad Cordero picked up his National League-leading 18th save of the season.

The Nationals remain in first place in the National League East, and 1 ½ games ahead of the Phillies.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Nationals rally for eighth straight win

Before the Nationals traded right-hander Tomo Ohka to the Brewers for infielder Junior Spivey on Friday, manager Frank Robinson often found himself hamstrung in the late innings because he was short a position player.
That wasn't the case Friday night after the deal for Spivey was made. Robinson was able to use every position player except for Gary Bennett, and it paid off as the Nationals pounded the Mariners, 9-3, in front of 28,704 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

The Nationals have won eight consecutive games and 11 out of their last 12. They are a season-high nine games over .500 at 35-26. The last time the organization won that many games in a row was 1997, when it was known as the Expos. That year, the Expos won 10 straight from June 6-16.

It was a combination of the starters and the reserves that won the game for the Nationals in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday.

With the score tied at 3, the Nationals went to work on two relievers by scoring six runs. With the bases loaded, one out and Mariners reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa on the mound, Brian Schneider singled to right field to drive in Jose Guillen and Nick Johnson to make it a 5-3 game.

Jamey Carroll, filling in for Cristian Guzman at short in the late innings, followed with a bunt single to drive in Spivey to make it 6-3.

Matt Thornton entered the game and walked Brad Wilkerson to force in Schneider.

Ryan Church then walked to bring home Carroll. Tony Blanco, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Luis Ayala, scored the last run of the game on a groundout by Guillen.

"We used everybody except for Bennett. It certainly gave us the flexibility that we needed tonight," Robinson said. "We were kind of freewheeling tonight because I knew we had some extra people. It came out good for us. Everybody contributed to tonight's win."

The bench wasn't just used in the eighth inning. With the Nationals down, 3-1, Robinson had Rick Short pinch-hit for right-hander Sun-Woo Kim. Short, making his Major League debut after 1,235 hits in 11-plus years in the Minor Leagues, collected his first big league hit off Joel Pineiro to drive in Schneider and cut the lead to 3-2.

"That was a big RBI. It put some life into us. After that, it was everybody doing the job," Robinson said.

Short wasn't nervous in his big league debut. Short said he learned to stay calm after playing before large crowds in Japan in 2003. After the hit, Short received a warm ovation when he went back into the dugout.

"I managed to stay short on the last swing and lined it to left. It got us going," Short said. "It's an accomplishment to get here and it's an accomplishment that's appreciated by everybody here. It's quite a feeling to be welcomed out there."

The Nationals tied the score off reliever Ron Villone in the seventh inning. With Spivey on third, pinch-hitter Marlon Byrd hit a routine grounder to shortstop Mike Morse, who had a tough time getting the a ball out of his glove. By the time his throw reached first baseman Richie Sexson, Byrd was on first and Spivey scored the tying run. Byrd was given a base hit and an RBI on the play.

"That's what we were talking about earlier. We have a manager that knows how to utilize the players that we have," interim general manager Jim Bowden said. "But this is a real team. Frank has some pieces to work with now. We have a little bit more speed than what we started with. We have some flexibility and some depth. It's a fun clubhouse."

Ohka was suppose to start for the Nationals on Friday, but after he was dealt, Kim became the emergency starter. Kim didn't know he was going to pitch until Robinson informed him Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Kim went on to pitch five solid innings and gave up two runs on five hits.

"Kim was good. It was his first start. He got us in an area where we could use the bullpen and everybody got a little work out there. We came away with a win," Robinson said. "We would have been in trouble if he didn't get far in the game."

Kim, who had been in Robinson's doghouse for not throwing strikes on a consistent basis the last two years, was grateful that his skipper showed confidence in him the last minute.

"When I came in, I was getting something to eat, when Frank told me I was the starting pitcher. I'm always ready to pitch -- starting or relieving. I'm happy that we won tonight and I thank Frank for believing in me," Kim said.

Those two runs Kim gave up were scored in the fourth inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Sexson singled to left to drive in Randy Winn.

Raul Ibanez followed and hit a line shot to first baseman Nick Johnson, who had a hard time handling the ball. He managed to get the out at first, but Adrian Beltre scored.

Pineiro pitched six solid innings and he gave up two runs on six hits.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Nationals acquire Spivey, Drese

Right-hander Tomo Ohka received his wish and the Nationals got better at the same time as they traded Ohka to the Brewers for second baseman Junior Spivey on Friday. The Nationals also claimed right-handers Ryan Drese and Jacobo Sequea off waivers.
The Nationals have been looking for a middle infielder since second baseman Jose Vidro went on the disabled list in early May with a high left ankle sprain and torn peroneal tendon outside the ankle.

Trade discussions were in the works between the Nationals and Brewers for more than a week. Interim general manager Jim Bowden said the deal never would have happened if not for Brewers prospect Rickie Weeks, who is close to being ready for big league action.

At first, the Nationals were hoping they could coax Barry Larkin, the special assistant to the general manager, out of retirement. But according to a team source, Larkin told the team last week that he wasn't going to play and to try to get Spivey, who is making $2.2 million.

Spivey will be the everyday second baseman until Vidro returns after the All-Star break. Spivey was hitting .236 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 49 games at the time of the trade. He best season was 2002 with the Diamondbacks, when hit .301 with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs. However, he has been injury-prone the last two seasons, spending time on the disabled list because of ankle, hamstring and shoulder problems.

Spivey was in Philadelphia when he heard the news about the trade. He then boarded an Amtrak train and arrived at the ballpark at 7:10 p.m. Spivey didn't reach the dugout until the third inning. He entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch-runner. Spivey eventually scored two runs.

"I was excited when I received the phone call about 2:30 today from [Brewers general manger] Doug Melvin," Spivey said after Friday's win over the Mariners. "Trade rumors have been circulating for about two to three weeks, so it was kind of expected."

Getting to know his new teammates and coaches should not be a problem for Spivey, who has played with the Nationals' John Patterson, Gary Bennett and Carlos Baerga during his career. Bench coach Eddie Rodriguez coached Spivey in Arizona.

"It's not like I'm coming to a place where I didn't know anybody. It was definitely a comforting feeling knowing I had some friends over here," Spivey said.

The acquisition of Spivey means that Jamey Carroll and Baerga will return to their proper roles. Carroll will be a backup at second base, shortstop and third base, while Baerga will be strictly a pinch-hitter.

Carroll has seen the bulk of the playing time at second base. He hit .242 with six RBIs. Baerga also saw time at the position, but he doesn't have the range to play second base.

"I haven't been hitting. Whatever it takes to keep us where we are at, that's the bottom line," Carroll said. "Spivey is going help. Obviously, I would like to be in there every day."

The move also gives manager Frank Robinson flexibility to bench Cristian Guzman for a couple of games if need be. Guzman has been hitting under .200 most of the season.

"Jamey Carroll and Carlos Baerga did a very good job filling in," Bowden said. "Frank hasn't been able to do some things that he would like to do, such as giving the guys the day off because of Jose's injury. Jamey was in there every day. So there's a hole that had to be fixed, and it was very difficult hole to fix. Infielders are tough to come by."

As for Ohka, he was in and out of the rotation. Ohka went to Robinson and Bowden on May 9 and told them he wanted to be traded after being demoted to the bullpen.

Ohka was back in the Nationals' rotation at the time of the trade. He was 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA, but the numbers are misleading. He had a tough time throwing strikes -- 27 walks in 54 innings -- and his velocity was down in the mid-80s. It prompted Robinson to believe that Ohka was injured, which Ohka denied.

To make matters worse, the relationship between Ohka and Robinson deteriorated and reached its boiling point last Saturday, when Ohka showed up Robinson. Ohka had his back turned as Robinson walked toward the mound to take the hurler out. Robinson then snatched the ball out of Ohka's hand. Ohka was later fined 1,000 for the incident.

Bowden said the incident did not hasten the trade.

"We are going to make moves to make this team better. I'm never going to make a move because of an incident," Bowden said. "I did not make this move to punish Tomo."

The Nationals are hoping that Drese, 29, can replace Ohka in the rotation. The Rangers designated Drese for assignment Wednesday after pitching 2 2/3 innings against the Phillies. In 12 starts, he was 4-6 with a 6.46 ERA.

Like Ohka, Drese had his share of controversy. On May 24, Drese and catcher Rod Barajas were involved in a scuffle over pitch selection.

Drese's best season was in 2004 when he went 14-10 with a 4.20 ERA for the Rangers, and the Nationals believe that he could return to that form again. Drese is a person the Nationals have been going after since the offseason.

If Drese can't do the job, the Nationals have not ruled out Sun-Woo Kim staying in the rotation. Kim started against the Mariners on Friday.

"His velocity is close, he is not hitting his spots. Ameriquest Field in Arlington has been a tough ballpark to pitch in," Bowden said of Drese. "We don't get Ryan Drese if he doesn't struggle. He's a great makeup guy. He is absolute competitor. We need to make some adjustments with him and get him back."

Sequea, 23, has posted 52 saves at three levels the last two-plus seasons in the Orioles system. Last season, while pitching for Bowie (Md.), Sequea led the Orioles' Minor League system and ranked second in the Double-A Eastern League with 27 saves. There, he recorded 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings en route to pacing the Eastern League in appearances.

The Nationals acquired Sequea on the recommendation of first-base coach Don Buford, who was the director of minor league operations for the Orioles.

When he was the Reds' GM in 1999, Bowden traded Sequea to the Orioles for Juan Guzman.

"He's a back-end bullpen guy. We are going to stockpile every arm we can. Our farm system has been pretty bare. You win with pitching and defense," Bowden said.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Angels' Donnelly tossed for illegal glove

Angels reliever Brendan Donnelly was ejected before he threw a pitch Tuesday after Nationals manager Frank Robinson asked the umpires to check the pitcher's glove for foreign substances, leading to an exchange of words between Robinson and Angels manager Mike Scioscia, a brief benches-clearing confrontation and a Nationals' comeback win.
The Angels were leading 3-1 in the seventh inning when Scioscia brought in Donnelly with one out and a man on first. As Donnelly warmed up, Robinson came out and talked with home-plate umpire Tim Tschida. Tschida then conferenced with the other umpires and inspected Donnelly's glove.

The umpires found pine tar on the glove, violating rule 8.02b, which prohibits a pitcher from having a foreign substance on his person or equipment.

"The glove was confiscated and will be sent to Major League Baseball tomorrow," crew chief Dale Scott said, meaning the glove will be inspected by the Commissioner's Office, which will determine possible further penalties, such as a suspension. "Pine tar is not allowed."

Robinson also accused Donnelly of using sandpaper, but the umpires said none was found.

Scioscia and the Angels were steamed.

"Pine tar is accepted practice for pitchers," Scioscia said after the game, which the Nationals won, 6-3. "Pine tar is not doctoring the ball; it's just giving you a normal grip for guys who sweat a lot if it's cold."

That conviction led Scioscia to issue a warning to Robinson on the field after the ejection, which incensed the Washington manager, leading both benches to clear.

"I told Frank that we were gonna undress his pitchers when they were out on the mound," Scioscia said. "He obviously wasn't happy."

Indeed he was not. After the game, Robinson carefully and slowly laid out the following response to Scioscia's comments.

"I've known Mike Scioscia for quite a while. I've always respected Mike as a person and a player," Robinson said. "His guy got caught tonight cheating, and he was way off base. He took me by surprise when he came over to me and he gave me a threat and he told me that he was going to have every one of our pitchers undressed."

The first one, at least. Prior to the bottom of the seventh, Sciocia asked Tschida to check Nationals pitcher Gary Majewski's glove for foreign substances. Nothing was found, but Robinson took umbrage at the action and at Scioscia's statement that he would have the Nationals' pitchers checked, which Robinson considered a "threat."

"I lost a lot of respect for Mike tonight as a person and as a manger and there's nothing he can say to me now," Robinson said. "I don't even want him to come close to me or try to apologize to me. If he even thought about it, I will not accept it."

Scioscia was displeased with Robinson's conduct as well. He said that Donnelly had been targeted and that he thought Robinson's decision to have him checked would spark an ugly trend in baseball.

"You'll have to have pitchers walk through a metal detector before every game," Scioscia said. "Or have umpires strip-search pitchers every time they come into the game."

Scioscia and Robinson weren't the only ones steamed. The Nationals' Jose Guillen -- who played for the Angels until last September, when he was suspended from the team after an extended altercation with Scioscia -- felt that Scioscia had shown up Robinson on the field.

No punches were thrown during the scrum after Donnelly's ejection, but Guillen tried to confront Scioscia and needed to be restrained by three Nationals.

"You guys saw what happened there," Guillen said. "That's what [ticked] me off. We're talking about respect, and I don't think [Scioscia] showed any respect to Frank. Frank deserves more respect than that."

Guillen, who has endured heavy booing by the fans at Angel Stadium all series, hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning and, after flipping his bat, made a slow, celebratory trot around the bases. He batted again in the ninth, but further incidents were averted, as the Angels pitched to him and he flew out on the first pitch.

Donnelly did not throw a pitch in the game, but the Nationals torched the man who relieved him, Scot Shields, for four runs in the eighth en route to the 6-3 win. After the game, Robinson said that he watched video on Donnelly prior and said he saw Donnelly used foreign substances on the mound.

Tuesday, Robinson said Donnelly was caught for having pine tar but escaped a potentially more serious violation.

"He also had sandpaper on his pitching hand," Robinson said. "He either put it in his back pocket or gave it to [second baseman Adam] Kennedy."

Donnelly, while unhappy about the ejection, was very measured with the media after the game Tuesday. When told about Robinson's statement, he first asked the reporter if he was joking. After learning the Nationals manager was serious, Donnelly was surprised and upset.

"You know what, that's just a ... lie, that's what it is," Donnelly said. "That's a [darn] lie. Can you write that?"

Scioscia found Robinson's statement equally hard to believe.

"Are you kidding me?" Scioscia asked. "That's absolutely ridiculous."

Scott said that the umpires did not find any sandpaper on Donnelly.

"Donnelly did not put up much resistance at all," Scott said. "We don't know anything about any sandpaper."

The umpiring crew did not know if there would be a suspension handed down or how long it might be. However, Jay Howell was suspended for three games after being found with pine tar on his hat during Game 3 of the 1988 National League Championship Series, which was played in a cold rain. The penalty was reduced to two games upon appeal.

"I don't know what the precedent is," Scioscia said. "This is different than sandpaper, this is different than Vaseline, this is different than whatever pitchers might use to alter the flight of the ball. You have a rosin bag out there. Rosin and water, you're making pine tar."

The Angels and Nationals will play for the third and final time this season Wednesday night. Scioscia said the Angels would be ready for any further inspections that might occur.

"Obviously, it's something we're gonna have to address with our guys and make sure they don't have any [foreign substances] on there," he said. "It is in the rulebook."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

What's amiss with Tucker?

In his last three outings, reliever T.J. Tucker has given up six runs in 4 2/3 innings. Four of those runs came against the Angels on Monday.
Both Tucker and manager Frank Robinson have different takes on what's wrong with the right-hander.

Robinson believes Tucker has not been given a lot of work. It hasn't helped that the starters have been pitching deep into games, and Tucker is considered one of the long men out of the bullpen. So Tucker is not really needed unless a starter has an early exit.

Last year, Tucker saw a lot of action because the starters, outside of Livan Hernandez, didn't pitch deep into games.

"He has been sitting out there an awful lot with these starters going six or seven innings," Robinson said before Tuesday's game. "Tucker hasn't been in ballgames and he is not as sharp. But I know he is capable of being better than what he was last night and the time before."

Tucker said lack of work is not his problem. His pitching mechanics have not been right ever since he was taken of the disabled list on May 26. He said his leg kick is too high and his stride is too long.

"My mechanics are all screwed up. I'm doing stuff that I didn't do last year," Tucker said. "I'm leaving balls up and making bad pitches."

He's OK: In the ninth inning of Tuesday's game, Angels outfielder Garret Anderson hit a fly ball to Nationals left fielder Ryan Church. As he was approaching foul territory, Church and a fan tried to catch the ball at the same time, but the ball ended up hitting Church on the right side of the face. He was down on the ground for several minutes, but he remained in the game. Church said he suffered no broken bones, but he said there is swelling inside his face.

Follow the leader: Robinson believes that Hernandez's willingness to go deep into games has rubbed off on the Nationals starters, especially Tony Armas Jr. Robinson feels that Hernandez's influence helped Armas get through the heat last Sunday against the Mariners.

"Tony pitched some real tough innings and he had 80-something pitches after three innings and it was hot," Robinson said. "He struggled and stayed out there and gave me five innings and went over 100 pitches. I don't think we would have done that last year or the year before. That's Livan's influence."

Injury report: Second baseman Henry Mateo, on the disabled list because of right shoulder tendinitis, is on a rehab assignment with the Class A Potomac. Mateo led off on Monday and went 0-for-3 against Wilmington.

Before going to the Minor Leagues, Mateo was in Washington and taking ground balls at second base and shortstop last week.

Mateo started the season on the DL because of shoulder problems and was activated on May 9. However, he was back on the DL a week later. Mateo went 0-for-1 with a walk in the 6-3 loss to the Cubs on May 13.

Stat of the day: Entering Tuesday's action, the Nationals are 11-12 when they score three or more runs

Did you know: The last member of the Expos/Nationals to hit a game-ending home run was shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who now plays for the Angels. He hit one on June 20, 2004, against White Sox right-hander Jon Garland.

On deck: The Nationals play the third game of a three-game series at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Wednesday night.

Right-hander Ryan Drese will make his Nationals debut. He will face the Angels for the second time this season. Drese is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA against them. Drese, who was designated for assignment by the Rangers, was claimed off waivers by the Nationals last Friday.

Drese will be the fifth starter in the rotation.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Drese dominates Angels in debut

On Wednesday night, there wasn't a near-brawl or gamesmanship between the Nationals and Angels. It was just a good old-fashioned pitching duel between right-handers Ryan Drese and Bartolo Colon. When it was over, Drese won the battle and helped the Nationals shut out the Angels, 1-0, in front of 43,505 fans at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
The lone run was scored in the sixth inning, when Brian Schneider took Colon's first pitch and hit the ball over the right-center field wall. It was Schneider's fourth home run of the season.

"Bartolo is aggressive. He comes right after you. I put a good swing on it and got it," Schneider said. "You have to be patient and be selective."

It looked as if the Angels were going to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. They had the bases loaded with none out against closer Chad Cordero. But Cordero struck out Steve Finley, induced Bengie Molina to fly out to shallow center field and struck out Dallas McPherson to end the game. Cordero wound up picking up his 21st save of the season.

"It feels good when you are able to get out of it like that," Cordero said. "I try not to worry about what just happened. I just try to go after the next hitter. I try to act like there's nobody on."

Getting out of jams is nothing new for Cordero. For example, on May 2, 2004, Cordero had the bases loaded and no outs against the Dodgers, but didn't allow a run to score.

"He has the ability to reach back and give a little extra," manager Frank Robinson said. "The ball doesn't have any more speed, but it has a little more movement on it or he locates it a little bit better when he gets in trouble."

The Nationals, who took two out of three games from the Angels, have won 12 of their last 13 games and are in first place in the National League East, three games ahead of the Phillies. The Nationals are 17-7 in one-run games.

"The confidence continues to build with each win. If they have to be one-run games, that's the way we have to play them. This club is not going to run anybody off the field offensively," Robinson said. "One-run games are just the norm for this club. It's not the exception."

Drese, making his Nationals debut after being picked up on waivers from the Rangers last Friday, pitched eight innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out three batters and walked four.

Drese relied heavily on the sinker and had 16 ground-ball outs.

"It was a terrific outing on his part. He had them hit a lot of ground balls and the infielders made the plays behind him," Robinson said. "He just made it look easy out there. He was loose. He made the pitches when he had to. He got ahead of hitters and finished them off. He made them swing the bat."

Drese had only two runners reach second base and that came in the fourth and sixth innings. After Darin Erstad walked in the fourth, he reached second on a passed ball by Schneider. In the sixth Erstad walked again, and reached second on a wild pitch by Drese.

"Tonight, I was happy to get us back in a win. Bartolo threw really well also," Drese said. "I was getting on top of the ball a little bit more and I'm attacking the strike zone except for Erstad. I don't know why I couldn't throw a strike to him."

Colon went the distance, allowing eight hits. Robinson is familiar with Colon, who played for Robinson on the 2002 Expos. Robinson knew ahead of time that Colon was going to be tough.

"Bartolo is just one of the pitchers who just won't let you get too far away from him," Robinson said. "We knew we needed a well-pitched game against him. He gave us one and that was enough tonight."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Guillen has harsh words for Scioscia

Nationals outfielder Jose Guillen is usually politically correct when it comes to talking about the Angels, who suspended him for the last week of the 2004 season and the postseason because of what they deemed inappropriate conduct following his removal for a pinch-runner on Sept. 25 against the A's.
Guillen has told the media that he has moved on, that he's taken anger management classes and that he's happy to be a member of the Nationals.

But after Wednesday's game, Guillen had harsh words for Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Guillen says he is still upset that Scioscia didn't keep the 2004 incident a private matter and felt that he never should have been suspended. Guillen was hitting .294 with 27 home runs and 104 RBIs at the time of the suspension.

In that game against the A's last September, Guillen was hit by a pitch. Scioscia then had Alfredo Amezaga pinch-run for Guillen, who threw up his arms in disgust. After he entered the dugout, Guillen threw his batting gloves against the wall of the dugout. According to newspaper reports, Guillen and Scioscia had a shouting match in the clubhouse after the game. A day later, Guillen was out for the season.

"You get suspended just because you want to play every day. You just want to stay in the lineup," Guillen said after Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over the Angels. "And your manager comes in and approaches you in front of everyone. I always said if you approached me differently, it's a different story. I know it's over, but that is something I will never forget.

"We should have handled that situation differently. There was a lot of stuff that came out of the clubhouse. We always said, 'What happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.' [The Angels] didn't follow those rules."

What triggered Guillen's anger on Wednesday was an incident that occurred the day before. Scioscia and Nationals manager Frank Robinson were involved in a heated exchange near home plate Tuesday night after Robinson asked the umpire to inspect reliever Brendan Donnelly's glove for pine tar.

Guillen said he was upset that Scioscia, 46, confronted Robinson on the field. Robinson is 69. In fact, three members of the Nationals -- batting practice pitcher Jose Martinez, bench coach Eddie Rodriguez and reliever Antonio Osuna -- had to restrain Guillen. Asked if he was going to go after Scioscia, Guillen said, "I was happy I was not the first one in the middle [of the incident]. I didn't know what would have happened. I'm so happy for my teammates that grabbed me to the dugout. If I was in the middle, the story was going to be different.

"Scioscia showed no class, no respect. He was talking to me about respect and class. I really don't care about Mike Scioscia. I have no respect for him any more because I'm still hurt about what happened last year. I don't want to make these comments, but Mike Scioscia is a piece of garbage. I don't care if I get in trouble."

Guillen, who was booed throughout the series in Anaheim, called Tuesday's game a wakeup call for him. He had been in an RBI slump, but he hit a game-tying, two-run home run that day and went 2-for-4 on Wednesday. After he singled in the ninth inning and was erased on a Nick Johnson double play on Wednesday, the crowd again booed Guillen. As he reached the dugout, Guillen tipped his helmet to the fans.

"I want to beat this team so bad," Guillen said. "I will never forget over what happened last year. Every time I play that team with Mike Scioscia as the manager, it always going to be personal."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Robinson sticks to his guns

Manager Frank Robinson wouldn't back down from his stance that he lost respect for Angels manager Mike Scioscia.
The two nearly came to blows after Robinson had the umpires check Angels reliever Brendan Donnelly's glove for pine tar late in Tuesday night's game at Angel Stadium. Donnelly was ejected for having the foreign substance in the glove. Robinson also believed that Donnelly had sandpaper on his right hand.

After several minutes of arguing, Scioscia then called in reliever Scot Shields. But before going back to the dugout, Scioscia yelled at Robinson near the first-base line and had to be restrained by the umpires before both benches and bullpens emptied. There were no punches thrown.

Robinson and Scioscia have not talked to each other since the incident, and Robinson wants no part of Scioscia.

"As you notice, he walked over to me. I was on the field on the first-base side of the line, minding my own business as manager of the ballclub, and he walked over there and he said something to me that I took exception to," Robinson said. "He walked over to me and said, 'Every one of your pitchers that come into the game, I'm going to have them undressed.' I felt like he was off-base making that kind of statement. He has a right to check my pitchers without trying to intimidate me."

On the mound: Reliever Joey Eischen, on the 15-day disabled list because of a broken right radius (forearm), had a simulated game Wednesday afternoon and was pleased with his performance.

"The ball came out of my hand real good. I threw strikes. I put the ball where I wanted it," the left-hander said.

Asked how his right arm was doing, Eischen said, "It's attached and healthy. It will be right next Spring Training. It will get me through the season. Next year it will be like it used to be. I lost a lot of strength and size in the arm. It's going to be a slow, daily grind."

Stat of the day: Entering Wednesday's action, the Nationals were 16-7 in one-run games and 23-1 when they scored five or more runs.

Did you know? During his baseball career, Jose Guillen played for two California teams. He played for the Athletics in 2003 and the Angels in 2004.

On deck: The Nationals have the day off on Thursday and then play a three-game series against the Rangers at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.

John Patterson will get the start in Game 1. Patterson will face the Rangers for the first time in his big league career.

In his last start, Patterson turned the corner in his baseball career. He pitched seven solid innings and helped the Nationals defeat the Mariners, 2-1.

It was the seventh inning with the score tied at 1. With two outs, Mike Morse on third base, and Ichiro Suzuki coming to the plate, Robinson came out of the dugout. That usually means Patterson is coming out of the game. But Robinson did something that is normally reserved only for right-handers Livan Hernandez and Esteban Loaiza. He kept Patterson in the game. Robinson's confidence in Patterson was rewarded when Ichiro flied out to left fielder Marlon Byrd to end the inning.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Potomac cross works out

Potomac general manager Jay Richardson says the team's decision to affiliate with the new Washington Nationals last fall was strictly a long-term move. That doesn't mean the Carolina League club hasn't enjoyed a few immediate benefits.
For one thing, souvenir sales are way up. By mid-June, Potomac general manager Jay Richardson estimated sales had already grown 200 percent over last season. Much of the reason is the team's name change from Cannons to Nationals.

"This team has been here since 1984 and has changed Major League affiliates several times," Richardson said. The erstwhile Cannons were most recently a Cincinnati Reds affiliate in 2003 and '04. "We wanted fans to make the immediate connection that we're connected with team in DC."

Fans snapped up P-Nats merchandise as quickly as they bought Washington Nationals gear. The P-Nats sell both at the stadium gift shop, and Richardson says more than a few fans have even commented that they prefer the P-Nats' logo -- a "P" with a flowing U.S. flag - to Washington's script "W."

Richardson says he has also notices more enthusiasm at the ballpark this year. The name change seems to have worked, because fans are showing a sense of pride that wasn't there before. The players have noticed it too.

"When I'm signing autographs, I'll see a lot of Nationals fans with all their Nationals gear on," Potomac third baseman Kory Casto said. "I may have seen one or two people wearing Expos stuff here or there last year, but it was almost like a joke."

Casto spent last season at Class A Savannah. He says fans in the D.C. area are not only more enthusiastic, but also seem to better understand the game.

"I saw Brad Wilkerson on television talking about the fans and how he came up in a tight situation and they cheered at the right time," Casto said. "It's like they've been waiting for the chance to have baseball again, and they really know the game."

Potomac manager Bob Henley has no problems with his players being immersed in all things Nationals.

"We're so close to D.C., we encourage the players to go up and watch a game on their off days," says Henley. "They hear about the Nationals on the radio and see highlights not just on ESPN, but also on the local news. They can see how the team is the buzz of the city."

Henley has an interesting perspective. Not only has he managed in the organization for the past three seasons, but he was also the Expos' 26th-round pick in 1991 and made it to Montreal for 41 games in 1998.

"It feels like there's hope now because the team has moved," he said. "There's just a newness to it. For years, you always heard how the team would build a new stadium, and it never happened."

Casto says there was some uneasiness among the players in Savannah last year. He says it "was always a back-burner issue," but he found himself hoping for the move to happen last winter.

Not everything about Potomac's new affiliation has been positive. It hasn't translated into better numbers at the gate, as attendance figures this year are on pace with last season's. In fact, Richardson says the team has even lost sales to its parent club. Several companies that conducted functions at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium last year have decided to have their outings at RFK Stadium instead.

But Richardson says that is just a short-term glitch that will soon be outweighed by the long-term benefits.

"I think there will be some good promotional opportunities with the Nationals down the road," he says. "There's the possibility of playing one of our games up there as a Major League/Minor League doubleheader. We could also have our players available to sign autographs at the stadium up there."

The overall goal is building ties to the big-league club. The more fans in the D.C. area who understand that tomorrow's Nationals are playing in Potomac today, the more interest they'll have in seeing a game there. It's starting to happen already, even if attendance figures aren't showing it.

"Our fan interest has been outstanding," Richardson said. "I think the people here are understanding that they can come to our games and watch guys they'll see a year or two down road on television playing for the Nationals. Having us right here helps them better understand how professional baseball and the Minor League system work."

Source: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/

Majewski's setup role

With the Nationals playing their first season in Washington in 2005, a lot of baseball fans want to know about the team and its chances of competing in the National League East.
Here are some answers to your questions. Keep those e-mails coming. Thanks a bunch.

I'm Gary Majewski's dad. I'm in Afghanistan and I still haven't seen my son pitch in the Major Leagues. What does the media think of him as a pitcher? I'm in a remote desert camp and have no clue what's going on in the outside world. I do know the Nationals are in 1st place! Go Nationals! -- Gerry M., Houston

The media considers Gary a valuable setup man for the Nationals. He is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in 26 games.

Manager Frank Robinson recently said he was going to monitor Gary for a while. The skipper feels that the right-hander is getting a little tired. While Gary is still being clocked at 94 mph, Robinson noticed that Gary is not blowing hitters away recently. Gary says he is not tired, he just has to get his slider down in the strike zone.

Gary last pitched in the infamous pine tar game this past Tuesday. He pitched 1 1 /3 innings without allowing a run.

After Robinson had umpires check Brendan Donnelly's glove for pine tar, Angels manager Mike Scioscia had the umpires check Gary's glove, which was clean. Gary declined to discuss the situation.

What was the Nationals' rationale for the Tomo Ohka/Junior Spivey trade when Jose Vidro is due to come off the disabled list in the next few weeks? -- Tom P., Burlington, Ontario

The Nationals were looking for offense at second base until Vidro returns. At the time of the trade, Jamey Carroll, who had received the bulk of the playing time, was in a terrible hitting slump. Carlos Baerga also played second base, but no longer has the range to play the position.

Carroll and Baerga are now in their proper roles. Carroll is a fill-in at second base, third base and shortstop, while Baerga is strictly a pinch-hitter.

Cristian Guzman is a terrific fielder, but how long do you see Robinson keeping him in the lineup with a batting average under the Mendoza Line? -- Greg S., Vienna, Va.

Robinson said that Guzman would continue to be the everyday shortstop. Let's not forget the team is winning and can afford to carry Guzman in the lineup for quite a while. Robinson even said recently that he would not consider switching Spivey from second to shortstop once Vidro returns. Guzman is the guy for the foreseeable future.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Guzman's jack the lone offense for Nats

Left-hander Kenny Rogers showed why he is the ERA king in the American League this season as the Rangers defeated the Nationals, 8-1, in front of 33,653 at Ameriquest Field on Friday night.
Rogers pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up one run on eight hits. He struck out three and walked four. Rogers' ERA went down from 2.02 to 1.98.

The lone run came in the seventh inning, when Rogers gave up a solo home run to Cristian Guzman.

For Guzman, his bat seems to be coming around. He finished the night 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .205. During the month of June, Guzman is hitting .289.

"I'm trying to come back. I'm trying to have my hands ready. I'm having a couple of good swings," Guzman said.

However, most of the Nationals didn't take very good swings on Friday. In fact, the Nationals had numerous opportunities to score against Rogers. The best ones came in the third and seventh innings.

With Marlon Byrd on first and nobody out in the third, Nick Johnson hit a double over Laynce Nix's head in center. Byrd tried to score on the play, but he was nailed at the plate. Vinny Castilla grounded out and Wil Cordero flied out to left field to end the inning.

In the seventh, the Nationals had runners on first and second and one out. Rangers manager Buck Showalter took Rogers out of the game in favor of reliever John Wasdin. Up stepped Castilla, and, on the first pitch, he hit into a double play to end the inning.

"There's nothing wrong with swinging at the first pitch if it's a good pitch and you can do something with it," manager Frank Robinson said. "The only time we notice a person swinging at the first pitch is when he is not successful."

Nationals right-hander John Patterson, on the other hand, wasn't as effective as Rogers. He lasted five innings and gave up four runs on eight hits. Patterson threw 105 pitches and 66 of them were for strikes.

Robinson thought Patterson relied too much on his fastball, and he didn't have good command of his breaking ball.

"He threw a lot of pitches out there. He had over 100 pitches after five innings," Robinson said. "That's too many pitches. If you do that, you cannot go very far in the game."

The Rangers made it a 1-0 game in the second inning when Nix's single brought home Alfonso Soriano, who led off the inning with a double.

In the next inning, Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock made it 2-0 by hitting his 12th home run of the season. Patterson said he threw the ball to a good location, but Blalock managed to hit to out.

"We had been working lefties in a lot all night. He was looking for one pitch," Patterson said. "I made the pitch in the location that I wanted and that's what he was looking for."

The Rangers scored two more runs in the fifth inning. Blalock drove in Michael Young with a single to right, while Soriano drove in Mark Teixeira with a sacrifice fly to left field.

John Patterson / P
Born: 01/30/78
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R

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Patterson, a Texas native, admitted that the heat was getting to him by the third inning. He was constantly using the rosin bag to dry his sweaty hands. It was 93 degrees at game time.

"I'd kind of forgotten what it's like during the summer. It's hard to breathe and it's hard to grip the balls. I hardly ever use rosin," Patterson said.

It also didn't help that he had to battle early in the game. For example, in the first inning, he threw 11 pitches to Teixeira before getting him to fly out to right field on the 12th pitch.

"It sets a completely different tempo and pace for the game," Patterson said of the tough start. "I go through two or three broken bats in those first couple innings and I had runners on the whole time. I threw a lot of pitches in that heat and set [the] tempo of the game. That made it hard to overcome."

The Rangers batted around in the eighth and scored four runs off relievers T.J. Tucker and Gary Majewski.

Kevin Mench started things off by hitting his 12th home run of the season off Tucker.

There were runners on first and second and one out, when Tucker had to leave the game because of a hyperextended elbow. Majewski entered and struck out David Dellucci. But then Majewski gave up RBI singles to Young, Teixeira and Blalock.

Robinson really didn't want to use Majewski in the game because the skipper felt that the right-hander was tired. Robinson said Majewski will have the day off on Saturday, and with Tucker out of action for at least three games, the Nationals will be short two relievers against the Rangers.

Majewski said he is not tired. He said he has a lot on his mind. His grandfather, Bruno Majewski, is having heart problems and will have an angioplasty a week from Friday.

"I just showed up to the field and it's just one of those days that I pitched. I wasn't really all there," Majewski said. "The slider still needs some work. I need to get it back down in the zone. I'm trying to do too much. It's just like Spring Training."

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/

Day working his way back

Right-hander Zach Day, who is on the 15-day disabled list because of a fractured right radius, was in the Nationals' clubhouse on Friday afternoon. He said he was in Texas to throw the baseball and see how the forearm was coming along.
Day fractured the radius on May 23 against the Reds in Cincinnati. In the bottom of the sixth inning with two out, center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. hit a line drive that struck Day on the wrist. The ball fell to the ground and the hurler picked it up and threw Griffey out at first base to end the inning.

Two days later, Day was back on the mound and gave up five runs in two innings against the Reds, earning him a demotion to Triple-A New Orleans the next day. But the trip to the DL canceled Day's Minor League option.

Day most likely will find himself back in the Minor Leagues once he comes off the DL, but in a rehab assignment. According to manager Frank Robinson, Day may be on the assignment the entire 30 days if the pitching staff continues to throw well.

Day, who was almost traded in late May, has changed his stance about being strictly a starter with the Nationals. With the team winning, he is willing to be a team player. At the time of his demotion, Day was in the bullpen and wanted a change of scenery.

"The team is going well. I'm not here to worry about the future," Day said.

Day has spent the last few weeks in Cincinnati, and said that his sister, Erin, needs a kidney transplant. Also, Erin's baby girl, who was born weighing just 1 pound, 7 ounces, had yet to reach the 2-pound mark.

"It was good to spend a couple of weeks with them. Erin is getting around," Day said.

Tucker injured: Reliever T.J. Tucker left Friday's game against the Rangers in the eighth inning with a hyperextended right elbow. After walking catcher Rod Barajas to put runners on first and second, Robinson took Tucker out of the game.

Tucker will not pitch for at least three days with hopes that the pain will subside. Tucker told MLB.com that he was playing in pain against the Angels on Monday. He gave up four runs in three innings in that game.

Tucker was on the disabled list earlier this season because of a right groin strain.

In retrospect: Looking back on Tuesday's incident with the Angels regarding reliever Brendan Donnelly's glove, Robinson said he wished that Jose Guillen did not make his comments public about Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who suspended Guillen for the last week of the 2004 season and the postseason because of what was deemed inappropriate conduct following his removal for a pinch-runner on Sept. 25 against the A's.

Guillen said Scioscia never should have suspended him and admitted that he would have gone after Scioscia during the incident between the Angels' skipper and Robinson.

"If I got wind of this beforehand, I would have advised Jose not to say anything," Robinson said. "Just keep quiet and fly under the radar, and don't add fuel to the fire and give the opponent a reason to beat us. Be the bigger person. He was for two and three-quarter days."

Robinson said he did not talk to Guillen about his comments.

Jose Guillen / RF
Born: 05/17/76
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R

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More on the mend: Guillen did not start in Friday's game against the Rangers because of a stomach virus. Robinson said that Guillen would be available late in the game, if necessary.

Outfielder Ryan Church also did not start on Friday because of an assortment of injuries. He is still experiencing headaches after being hit on the right side of the face by a foul ball on Tuesday. Church believes he may have had a mild concussion.

He also has a mild left groin strain that occurred while trying to beat out an infield hit and a sore right pinky toe after being drilled by a Scot Shields pitch. Both injuries came during the Angels series.

"I can play. I'm just a little beat up. You just have to play through them," Church said.

Just watch: Considering how emotional Guillen became against the Angels, Robinson is happy that right-hander Ryan Drese will not face the Rangers this weekend.

The Rangers designated Drese for assignment last week and he was claimed by the Nationals last Friday.

Drese pitched eight shutout innings against the Angels in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

"I would not say that he would not do the job in Texas, but I know the pressure would have been there," Robinson said. "The adrenaline would be overflowing and he would have been trying too hard. He probably would have been overthrowing and probably wouldn't have been as effective."

Backing the manager: Robinson was happy that his players had his back during the incident with Scioscia.

"I'm proud of this team. That's why we preach about [watching out for] each other's back," Robinson said. "It's a new attitude here. The new players have a lot to do with that attitude, and the players who have been here have bought into the attitude."

Robinson said the 2002 and '03 Expos would've been "late" to help him on Tuesday. It's no secret that players such as Fernando Tatis, Vladimir Guerrero and Javier Vazquez didn't like Robinson.

Stat of the day: Despite limited action, Tony Blanco has seven RBIs in his last 12 games entering Friday's action.

Did you know? With a 2-1 record and 21 saves in 23 chances, right-hander Chad Cordero leads all closers in the Rolaids Relief Man standings. He has a nine-point lead over Phillies closer Billy Wagner, who won the award in 1999 when he was with the Astros.

On deck: The Nationals play the second game of a three-game series against the Rangers at Ameriquest Field on Saturday.

Tony Armas Jr. will face the Rangers for the first time. In his last start, Armas (3-3) pitched five shutout innings against the Mariners to earn his second consecutive win. He threw 107 pitches, 70 for strikes.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/